Our Fine Feathered Friends

We have had a birdfeeder outside our kitchen window for about six months now. It took a couple of months for a few birds to find it. And a couple of more months for the variety of birds to increase beyond the ever-present house finches. And recently, we finally got close enough to take a few pictures. Watching this feeder and other birds around is one of the best parts about spending extra time at home.

Male downy woodpecker

Female downy woodpecker

Chipping sparrow

Mockingbird with wind-ruffled feathers

Female house finch getting ready for takeoff

Red-bellied woodpecker

Male house finch

Female cardinal and male house finch

Bird's that slid down the drain spout. It took a while to get the bird and the nest out. The top now has a screen on it to prevent this happening again. We hope.

That bird, which I think is a finch, may have then moved to a nearby bluebird box. When I went to remove the extra nest to give the bluebirds a chance, there were already babies in it. Use your imagination when you look at the fuzzy red and yellow colors in the middle of the picture. Those are newly hatched birds, however, I was not able to see them well and neither was the camera.

And what feeder would be complete without our large furry friend.

Until next time... when hopefully a few more fine feathered friends have stayed still enough for us to get a picture.

Thankful Sunday, April 19, 2020

I am thankful for the ever-changing 

colors of spring.

Virginia bluebells

Violets 

Tulip

Sprouting acorn

Ornamental cherry

Grape hyacinth

Wallflower

Sour cherry

Lilac

Dogwood

Full moon

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Share with me our stay-at-home Easter Parade, with a few pictures from Easters past and present.

I am thankful for Easter because it reminds us that 

all things are possible.

This Too Shall Pass

This Too Shall Pass

Gentle clouds

Apple blossoms

Bird warbles

It should be so easy

Warm house

Close family

Plentiful food

It should be so easy

But reassuring thoughts are fleeting.

Novel virus

Not knowing

Job loss

It is so easy

No masks

Uncertainty

No cure

It is so easy

For bleak thoughts to invade.

Deep breaths

Good books

Neighborhood walks

I will try

Friend calls

Nutritious food

Consistent sleep

I will try

Because this too shall pass.

This was what I was thinking when I woke up this morning. Unlike my mother did, I do not generally write poetry. She would be so happy that I tried. And she would, also, tell me to share it with others. So in honor of National Poetry Month, there you have it.

Thankful Sunday, April 5, 2020

I am thankful for Wally.

Of course, I am thankful for all of my family, but today is Wally's birthday, so he gets a special shout out.

Wally is an adult now, but it in some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday when he joined our family. He was born in New Orleans after a complicated trip to the hospital and a confusing labor. He had a full head of dark hair and was the sweetest and calmest baby--for about 24 hours. Then our world changed. He slept little, ate voraciously, and cried most of the time inbetween. He still eats a lot and sleeps little. Thank goodness the crying finally died down.



As time progressed, he grew into a very active and curious boy who liked to see how things worked. One time, when he was three, Wally took apart Theo's crib when both of them were supposedly taking a nap. Luckily, no one was hurt as the bed collapsed around his brother. Another time, he took the bathroom door off it's hinges. He, also, loved to build things. Unfortunately, it never seemed to be anything he took apart.

Wally thinks about people and what makes them happy. When he was four, he asked us if poor people were happy. That was a hard one to explain to a four year old. As he grew older, he seemed to have a special appreciation for the senior population. Everyone on both sides of the family was especially thankful for the help he gave his grandparents while they were learning to use computers. He was patient, clear and never got frustrated. He showed these same abilities when he worked as a pharmacy tech when he was first out of school.

Growing up, Wally loved being outdoors and never met a stick or rock he didn't like. That was a perfect fit for Boy Scouts and he eventually became an Eagle Scout. As is his nature, he took his oath very seriously and tried to live up to it. Except when he didn't, because after all he is human. But I won't go into that right now.

Now as an adult, Wally is an independent, productive member of society who tells me not only is he happy, he is content. What more could a parent ask for? Nothing.

Happy Birthday, Wally!

This and that, Part 2

Yesterday, I started an update on what we've been doing for the last few weeks. I know that I like to hear what others are doing during this non-conventional time, so I'll fill you in on what it looks like at our house.

As you may have read, we are all working from home and that is keeping us busy. Boredom has not set in yet, but the need to be out and about is getting stronger, as the restrictions get tighter and tighter. However, we have found ways to help with that.

Like many other states, Maryland is on strict stay-at-home orders expect for necessary trips for food or medicine. But we've been going out anyway for drives. We don't get out of the car and are exploring places in the neighborhood that we haven't been to before. It is a very pleasant experience as everything is in bloom right now and Ward and I get a little calm, quiet time away from the constant barrage of news of the corona virus. Even when we turn off news and social media, there are frequent comments and discussions from work about it as our organizations are trying to work within the current constraints to offer good services.

Also as usually happens in the spring, neighbors are out in their yards or taking walks. We have been doing the same and are enjoying talking to others (with proper social distancing) as well as getting some fresh air. I have met one new family this way and Ward was able to help someone living alone fix their lawn mower. Our neighborhood is, also, doing the teddy bear in the window thing for kids to look for on walks. Really everyone is enjoying it although sometimes it is hard to see them depending on how the sun is shining on the window. The first bear I put up was too dark and couldn't be seen at all. Now we have a yellow horse/burro in the window. It's fun to listen to kids, as they see it, because we are the only ones who aren't using a teddy bear.

As far as getting out to the stores, we have been out occasionally when needed while practicing the recommended protocols. Earlier in the week, I ordered something from Lowes for pickup in the store. I thought it was going to be a curbside pickup, but it was a bit more complicated than that. Luckily, there was no close contact with anyone else and all was good. Also, we ordered a push mower from Home Depot. Ours bit the dust and we can't figure out how to fix it. Ward has disliked it for years, anyway, and wanted to get a new one. The mower just arrived, so I know what we'll be doing when Ward finishes work.

We have plenty of food and I am enjoying trying to use what we have interesting ways. Last week I learned a new kitchen tip that totally fascinated me. After cooking some chicken breasts in the Instant Pot for pulled chicken sandwiches, the recipe said to use a hand mixer to shred it. It worked like a charm and was much easier than other methods I have used. That was fun!

This is long enough for now. Next up, will be an outdoor update.

Be well and stay safe. Until next time...

This and that

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Just a check-in to let everyone know that we are alive and well here. I wanted to do a post without mentioning the C word, but can't. It invades my thoughts too much. And if I posted without mentioning it, everyone would wonder about the elephant in the room.

So what's been going on at my house? We've been officially staying at home for about three weeks now, but had limited activities before that. We aren't bored as we are all working or doing school from home.  Also, Theo goes out to work for Costco. Luckily, he is not in a retail store, but is in a place with a lot of other people. However, Costco is going out of it's way to keep things as safe as they can. As you can imagine there has been a huge surge in online orders, so his location has hired a lot of new people. And according to Theo, half of them seem to have the job of yelling at everyone to practice safe, clean, and social distancing behavior. He is glad about that because he has been very contentious since the beginning, but not everyone was onboard as quickly as he was.

Cherry blossoms from10 years ago on this day,
when Ward and I were visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. 

And speaking of working at home, Ward is a pro at it because of the nighttime and weekend work he has done for years at home. However, it's all a new experience for me and not one I really like. I've been at it for two weeks and still trying to find a happy medium. I've gone from being very intense and exhausting myself making sure that I made every minute count to being restless and nonproductive much like today. I think more organization and planning on my part will help me find a happy medium between my two extremes at this point. Also, I don't like it because there is too much sitting. When I am in the library, there is a lot more moving around, not to mention people interaction. And what all of this means for blogging is that by the time I finish my teleworking, I'm too tired to think or sit at the computer any more. Thus the blogging has been sliding.

As I am writing this, I just heard the daily helicopters fly over. We live on the flight path from the White House to Camp David and see military helicopters flying people there then and again. I wasn't sure who was going there because Camp David is not Trump's style, plus he has a lot of other places to go. But here's Miss Landers' theory. She has been timing them and has observed that they usually flyover soon after Trump finishes his daily press conference and fly back about an hour later. She thinks that Melania and Barron are isolating there and Trump goes there every day to visit his family. Who knows, but makes sense. That's one way I've been entertaining myself when I'm not working--discussing the flight patterns of the military helicopters that fly over my house.

Now I'm off to make some kind of concoction with some old strawberries, blueberries, and bread crumbs we found during our freezer inventory. I think I hear a crisp calling.

I will be back soon with what we've been doing besides working while we spend more time at home.

Be safe and Be well.
Until next time.....



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